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Night settled across the forest like a velvet curtain, the flickering campfire casting gentle shadows on the group. Yuki lay curled in his partial dragon form, his scales dimmed to a soft silver-blue glow, blending into the moonlight.
The others were still gathered around the fire, though the air had shifted to something more relaxed. Seiris sat sharpening her daggers with mechanical precision, Aeiris watched her sister quietly, and Elira was absentmindedly scribbling a spell circle into the dirt.
Lumi, of course, broke the silence first.
"So… Elira. If we all had to pick one person in this group to prank mercilessly for an entire week, who would it be?"
Elira didn't even look up. "Yuki."
"Rude," Yuki said from his spot. "Why me?"
"Because you don't retaliate. You just sigh and pretend you're above it all while secretly fuming inside."
Sylvaeria grinned. "That's true. I caught him roasting a squirrel in a passive-aggressive fireball after Lumi dumped freezing water on him."
"It was summer," Lumi said defensively. "He needed a cooldown."
"Summer or not, you're lucky I didn't sneeze in your direction. I'd accidentally evaporate you."
"I *like* those odds," Lumi teased.
Aeiris blinked at the exchange, still adjusting. "Is it always like this?"
Seiris finally stopped sharpening and looked up. "Unfortunately, yes. I'm still trying to figure out why I haven't escaped into the shadows and disappeared yet."
"Because you like it here," Sylvaeria said sweetly.
"Tch."
Yuki sat up slowly, his form shifting to a more humanoid dragon hybrid—horns small, wings folded. "I think we needed this. After everything in the past few days… it's good to laugh."
"You're not wrong," Elira said softly. "We've all changed. Grown."
Lumi turned to Aeiris. "You okay with all this now? The whole… you being the fifth girl in a dragon's growing harem thing?"
Aeiris blushed crimson. "I—! I didn't say I was in the harem!"
Everyone stared.
Sylvaeria leaned in. "You cuddled up to him last night."
"That was to keep warm!"
Seiris narrowed her eyes. "You were wearing a flame-insulated coat."
"I—! I panicked!"
Yuki coughed. "Okay, okay, let's not bully the newcomer."
"You like it," Lumi said smugly.
"...A little," he admitted.
The fire crackled between them as they all slowly settled down. Seiris, for all her aloofness, now leaned against Aeiris's shoulder. Lumi curled near Yuki's side again, and Elira leaned on Sylvaeria with a faint smile.
In this strange constellation of warriors and misfits, bonds forged in battle had turned into something deeper.
Yuki closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of ash, pine, and magic. The real battle loomed ahead, but right now—under this sky, with these people—it felt like he had already won something precious.
And maybe… just maybe, this was the family he never knew he needed.
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